League responds to criticism of Winnipeg’s new police chief’s favourable views on prayer and organized religion:
The Editor:
It’s remarkable how quickly the religion-haters come out of the woodwork when any public figure indicates he is favourable to prayer, and/or to organized religion as a whole. Given that Sgt. Clunis’ follow-up comments make it clear that he was not proposing to replace standard policing methods with divine intervention, but rather was emphasizing the importance of community action, I must ask just what is the motivation of all the critics: Has such an approach been tried and found wanting? Should we rest easy knowing that the non-religious approach to crime has worked so well? Or is it merely that we should all distrust anyone who is public about religious belief?
Whatever the reason, this incident has not brought out the best face of religious tolerance.
Joanne McGarry, Executive Director
Catholic Civil Rights League
– Winnipeg Free Press letters, October 29, 2012